Westmoreland DA candidate excused from jury duty after failing to show
Nicole Ziccarelli was excused from jury duty after not showing up Monday morning at the Westmoreland County courthouse, according to Nancy Murtland, jury board clerk.
Ziccarelli, a lawyer from New Kensington, is a Republican candidate for county district attorney. She was one of 160 prospective jurors summoned to appear the first day of the March criminal term. Murtland said Wednesday that Ziccarelli was rescheduled and then excused.
Ziccarelli told the Tribune-Review that her absence was a scheduling mistake and she called county officials once she realized the situation. She is seeking to oust six-term incumbent District Attorney John Peck, a Democrat, in the fall. Both candidates are unopposed in their party primaries in May.
She was narrowly defeated in her bid last year to win a seat in the state Senate after a lawsuit that sought to invalidate thousands of mail-in ballots in Allegheny County. Incumbent Democrat Jim Brewster edged out Ziccarelli by 69 votes to represent the district that includes parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. She conceded Jan. 12.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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